Sci-fi and fantasy reviews, among other things

Doctor Who, Season 7, Part 2

I’ve got a confession to make.

I’m really not into Doctor Who this season.

I just finished the final two episodes last night, and only because I’m sick, confined to the bed, and too stuffed-up to think about reading or writing. Otherwise, I don’t know when I would have actually gotten around to finishing the season.

It’s weird, because all the parts are there for a good season. Matt Smith is a good, versatile actor, Steven Moffat wrote some of my favorite early series episodes, and the companions have been likeable enough. But, for some reason, I just haven’t liked the Steven Moffat seasons as much.

His writing seems so over-the-top. It’s so dramatic and fast, but only at the surface. Often, I find myself wondering if the dramatic music and pressured dialogue truly match the plot. Does every episode have to feel like a season cliffhanger? It’s exhausting.

Then there’s Matt Smith, who, I think, is being misused. No, he’s not Tennant, but he’s proven his talent and adaptability as an actor. He can do anything. So, knowing that, why is Moffatt and the writing team constantly putting him in the role of clumsy, absent-minded professor who eats funny food combinations and kisses foreheads? The Doctor should be dangerous, scary, unpredictable, and smart. I never see Eleven do anything smart anymore.

Or, maybe he has been smart, and I just didn’t catch it. The overwhelmingly dramatic music often blasts out the dialogue, and I cannot keep up with what they are saying.

Anyway, I read somewhere that we are on the cusp of Eleven’s final adventure, and we will get a new doctor. (That final scene in the last episode doesn’t fool me. John Hurt isn’t a new doctor, he’s an old doctor.) Who do I have in mind? I’m vying for Paterson Joseph (Alan Johnson) from Peep Show. He can play an unpredictable, fast-talking, dangerous, yet clever, mad man, whose abrasiveness softens around his loyal companions. It’s time for a black Doctor. If he can be ginger, as he’s always hoping for, he can be black. I know, it’s a brilliant idea!

It’s also time for a male companion. Rory didn’t count, although the married couple was a unique twist. I was really hoping that Craig from “The Lodger,” would be the succeeding companion after Amy and Rory, because I enjoyed his chemistry with Eleven, but I think that guy got his own popular television series after that episode. Bummer. He seemed like the right guy to help Eleven get out of his funk after Amy and Rory’s *spoiler*. Besides, I’m tired of the Doctor/companion flirtiness we’ve seen the past 6 seasons. I want a back-to-business Doctor, whose adventurous spirit brings out the best in his companions.

But most importantly, I think it’s time for Moffatt to devote his talents to the wonderful Sherlock and step down from Doctor Who. Both shows deserve 100% of his time. Who should step up? I’m not sure. I wonder what Russell T. Davies is doing right now.

*Googling*

Oh, he’s doing a kid’s show in England. Really? You left Doctor Who for that?